Welcome to the PFOX blog! This blog presents a wide range of articles and commentaries on all types of issues that impact, or are related to, homosexuality and the ex-gay community. PFOX does not endorse any of the articles or links provided on this blog -- they are for informational reading purposes only.
For more information about PFOX visit www.PFOX.org

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Mayer Report - a just released exhaustive review of the scientific literature concerning gender identity and sexual orientation. It is significant in that over 500 scientific articles were reviewed by two notable scholars currently at Johns Hopkins: Dr. Lawrence Mayer, a self-described liberal citizen who supports LGBQT rights, and Dr. Paul McHugh who is conservative. Among the many significant findings is that both doctors concur that neither sexual orientation nor gender identity is innate or immutable (no one is born gay or transgender, and both are fluid). Additionally, both doctors find no evidence to support encouraging children to identify as transgender.
Download the report at http://www.thenewatlantis.com/docLib/20160819_TNA50SexualityandGender.pdf

Sunday, March 22, 2015

The linchpin of the gay activist movement’s successful effort to redefine sexual behavior under the rubric of civil rights is the assertion that people are born gay, cannot change, and that scientific studies confirm this.

Since 1973, when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the gay rights movement has claimed that there is no evidence that homosexual behavior is anything but normal and healthy. This was a political, not scientific decision. In the 1990s, several studies purporting to show a genetic cause for homosexuality were released with fanfare provided by an uncritical media. All have since been found to have major flaws.

Three reports unravel the misconceptions, fabrications and politics that anchor the gay movement’s claims to be on a par with the black civil rights movement.

Born or Bred by Robert Knight looks at several of the most highly publicized studies about causes and notes that none has been replicated and that all have fatal flaws.

The Evelyn Hooker Study and the Normalization of Homosexuality by Dr. Tom Landess unpacks the first major scientific studies released in the 1950s that allegedly “proved” that homosexual men were no different psychologically or emotionally from other men. The data in two of the studies actually lead to an opposite conclusion, but this has been suppressed. As with the now debunked Kinsey-derived myth that 10 percent of the population is homosexual, the Hooker studies took on a life of their own and became “proof” that homosexual behavior is normal.

The Kids Are Not All Right

It's almost a foregone conclusion that researchers who compare children raised by heterosexual parents to those raised by a homosexual one will be vilified, harassed, and professionally targeted. An amicus brief filed with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals might explain why.

In their own words, four of these adult children are breaking their silence in an official court document about how growing up with s changed their lives. At a time when the Left is desperately trying to prove that all families are the same, these stories -- from the powerful to the painful -- speak for themselves.

With moving testimonies, the "quartet of truth" bravely pulls back the curtain on the grief and confusion that marked their childhoods without a mom or dad. B.N. Klein remembers growing up "with a parent and her partners in an atmosphere in which gay ideology was used as a tool of repression, retribution and abuse." In a house where the bedroom was more like a revolving door, she felt more like a "prop to be publicly displayed to prove that gay families are just like heterosexual ones. While I do not believe all gays would be de facto bad parents, I know that the gay community has never in my lifetime put children first as anything other than a piece of property, a past mistake, or a political tool to be dressed up and taken out as part of a dog-and-pony show to impress the well-meaning."

For Robert Lopez, feeling loved wasn't the problem. Finding a connection with a father figure was. "My upbringing," he says wistfully, "represented the best possible conditions for a child raised by a same-sex couple," but the lack of an adult male role model led him down a harrowing path of homosexual prostitution in a desperate effort to compensate for the dad he never had. "I experienced a great deal of sexual confusion. I had an inexplicable compulsion to have sex with older males… The money was not as impactful as the fact that I needed to feel loved and wanted by an older male figure."

Now, as an adult, he says his story isn't all that different from dozens of others who have similar scars from the deep longing for the parents they never knew. For him, just opening up about his experience was a big step because of the retribution that awaited him. "Children raised by same-sex couples face a gauntlet if they break the silence about the 'no disadvantages' consensus." At work, he was targeted and harassed: "In such a climate, I must conclude that placing children in same-sex couples' homes is dangerous, because they have no space or latitude to express negative feelings about losing a mom or dad, and in fact, they have much fear if they do."

Katy Faust understands that all too well. "The label of bigot or hater has become a very powerful and effective tool to silence those of us who choose not to endorse the marriage platform," she writes. "For many years, those devices kept me quiet… But I have come to realize that my silence, and the silence of others, has allowed for the conversation to be dominated by those who claim that only animus, ignorance, or indoctrination could lead one to oppose 'marriage equality.'"

Now, she says, "we are normalizing a family structure where a child will always be deprived daily of one gender influence and the relationship with at least one natural parent. Our cultural narrative becomes one that, in essence, tells children that they have no right to the natural family structure or their biological parents, but that children simply exist for the satisfaction of adult desires."

"Your childhood," Dawn Steanowicz agrees, "is divided to please adults." Dawn, who was immersed in the homosexual and transgender subcultures, spoke with raw transparency about being exposed to "sodomy, nudity, pornography, group sex, sadomasochism," and even watching helplessly as her dad propositioned a male high school friend for sex. These are the truths the Left doesn't want you to know. Like the other three, the anguish Dawn felt was because "there's a missing biological parent," not because her fathers couldn't get married. There are "two rights" every child should share, Katy told the court. "First, the right to live. Second, the right to have a relationship with his/her father or mother."

MEN'S HEALING WEEKEND

Breakthrough unhealthy relational patterns and behaviors; learn to connect with men on a deeper level; and move to a new place of healing in your journey.

Our small group of men will be immersed in 48 hours of experiential healing, processing, reflecting, and sharing our lives with each other. Each man will leave with concrete action steps to assist him in his continued growth into manhood.

The group will work through:

Discovering your authentic self and real needs

Processing pain and hurt through experiential exercises

Learning ways to engage with men and get your deepest needs met

Healing wounds from the past and present

Male bonding through physical and emotional exercises

The weekend will be led by IHF Director, Christopher Doyle, MA, LCPC and a special guest psychotherapist, TBD!

Location:

Hagerstown, Maryland (approximately 75 miles from BWI Airport in Baltimore, MD). Participants may also fly into Hagerstown Regional Airport by connecting through Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Agenda:

Friday

3-5 pm

Participants Arrive

5 pm

Dinner

6-9 pm

Seminar

Saturday

8 am

Breakfast

9 am -9 pm

Seminar (breaks for lunch and dinner)

Sunday

8 am

Breakfast

9 am - 4 pm

Seminar (break for lunch)

Cost: Seminar fee, lodging, and 6 meals (Friday dinner-Sunday lunch): only $699 ($649 for early registration until June 1, 2015). Participants are required to pay and fill out a registration form at least 4 weeks in advance. First come first served, as space is limited.

The weekend is designed for mothers of a same-sex attracted or gay-identified child. The goal is for each mother to grow personally and as a Parent/Coach, to learn how to better love and understand your struggling child, and to uncover how your own unresolved issues may be blocking your family's path to healing.

This weekend away is set at our beautiful country farmhouse retreat in rural Maryland. Our small group of 8-10 mothers is a safe place to process, learn, and heal. You will leave with answers, tools, techniques, and hope to help yourself, your child, and your family.

Hagerstown, Maryland (approximately 75 miles from BWI Airport in Baltimore, MD). Participants may also fly into Hagerstown Regional Airport by connecting through Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Cost: $399 Includes 5 meals and 48 hr seminar. Lodging is not included. There are several options for lodging both at the retreat center and off-site. Contact us for more details. Participants are required to pay and fill out a registration form at least 4 weeks in advance. First come first served, as space is limited.

This weekend will give you the opportunity to connect with other fathers that are in the same position as you, and learn together how you can rise up and face the challenges that affect our families and children! You will gain great insight into your child's needs by learning, growing, and taking part in group activities with each other during this interactive weekend!

You will be empowered by understanding how your own background has influenced your parenting, while at the same time, realizing how you can lead your children and family into a healthier future. This weekend away is set at our beautiful country farmhouse retreat in rural Maryland. Our small group of 8-10 fathers is a safe place to process, learn, and heal. You will leave with answers, tools, techniques, and hope to help yourself, your child, and your family. This weekend will be facilitated by IHF Director, Christopher Doyle, MA, LCPC and a special guest psychotherapist, TBD!

Location: Hagerstown, Maryland (approximately 75 miles from BWI Airport in Baltimore, MD). Participants may also fly into Hagerstown Regional Airport by connecting through Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Cost: $399 Includes 5 meals and 48 hr seminar. Lodging is not included. There are several options for lodging both at the retreat center and off-site. Contact us for more details. Participants are required to pay and fill out a registration form at least 4 weeks in advance. First come, first served, as space is limited.

All participants are required to sign a code of conduct upon registration that they are attending the seminar as a participant for educational, therapeutic, and/or healing purposes. No part of this seminar may be recorded electronically or by any other means, and all details of therapeutic processes demonstrated, described, or taught must be kept confidential (except when used in professional or ministerial practice with clients) and are intellectual property of the International Healing Foundation.

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About PFOX

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) is a national non-profit organization committed to helping ex-gays and parents and friends of gays who want help, hope and community. PFOX exists to educate, support, and advocate for individuals and parents on the issue of same-sex attraction, and increase others’ understanding and acceptance of the ex-gay community.
To learn more about PFOX, visit our official website at www.pfox.org.